tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-102563012018-02-14T14:42:17.646-08:00Woven Thoughtsalso spinning. and dyeing. in fact, anything fiber.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.comBlogger566125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-82820720543442992142018-02-12T07:09:00.001-08:002018-02-12T07:09:21.913-08:00Always LearningI sat in the hot tub this morning in a light misty rain, thinking of the leather bag project I am working on now. Time passed, suddenly a half hour was gone, and my tea was getting cold! I do love that kind of time, and the "making-in-my-mind" as I walk through the steps of the next thing. It occurred to me to wonder what people think about when they are not makers. Do they sit and ponder the world's problems, their own problems, their children's problems? Do they daydream about the next vacation, or the list of chores or errands? What occupies their thoughts, the way that making occupies mine??<br /><br />I have been busy making. Christmas and gift giving necessitates that photos not be published before the gift is given, of course, and then, suddenly it's February and I have not posted here for many months! So herewith, in no particular order:<br /><br />I went to Penland in August, to take a class in leather working:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/25982288238/in/photostream/" title="samples"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4674/25982288238_eb278ebbcc_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="samples"></a><br /><br />The woman who taught the class makes cowboy boots (!) but the class itself was about inlay and overlay in leather, and I learned a lot! I think I might have been the absolute worst student, in terms of technique, but practice will make it better. I do love the samples I made, warts and all, and I am employing some of the techniques in my bags combining textiles and leather. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/39855869411" title="bag"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4724/39855869411_d780978f83_m.jpg" width="240" height="227" alt="bag"></a><br /><br />Next up is a bag I made for my friend Mollie, using her handwoven printed and stitched cloth for the front pocket. She and I have been weaving friends and personal friends for over 40 years, and we can still talk for hours on end whenever we meet. So, for her birthday, she got a bag! I think she likes it :).<br /><br />There has been some weaving: two silk fabrics, the first is a scarf because it was a failure for it's intended purpose (part of a jacket, it shrunk too much in width). It makes a great scarf though, so no harm, no foul. The second is the fabric that ended up as part of that jacket, and it is a total success. Also silk, that jacket is in the process of being sewn up now. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/39823335472/in/photostream/" title="scarf"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4710/39823335472_3845c9887a_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="scarf"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/39823324552/in/photostream/" title="silk"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4748/39823324552_e1e0cfe04c_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="silk"></a><br /><br />Then there are the Christmas presents:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/24984700027/in/photostream/" title="smalls"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4651/24984700027_d73fe6a110_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="smalls"></a><br /><br />Small bags and a keychain (with a cardwoven tab!), way cute.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/38956531305/in/photostream/" title="backpack"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4760/38956531305_dc04488de9_m.jpg" width="174" height="240" alt="backpack"></a><br /><br />And a carry-on size backpack for my son. This was the major project, many hours and many things learned. It works! he's already traveled with it at least once. I love making stuff people will use...<br /><br />This year, for our Christmas travel, we took the train across half of the country. What a treat! travel was at a human pace, not frantic, with no TSA-driven restrictions, and a leisurely 2 days and nights of scenery slowly ambled by. Meals were excellent, and I lost count of the bald eagles I saw while knitting, sipping a drink, and watching the world out the window from a cosy rocking train. Such a delightful way to get from here to there...this will not be the last time!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/39145697524/in/dateposted/" title="train"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4619/39145697524_90234a52f9_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="train"></a><br /><br />Last, coming up in June is the annual meeting for <a href="https://weavearealpeace.wildapricot.org/">WARP.</a> In September, I met with the organizer to see the venue and help set up the activities around the meeting site, which will be in Decorah, Iowa. As part of the festivities, we will have a reception and tour of Vesterheim, the Norwegian American Museum. We got a sneak peek in the vaults of textiles stored there and oh! be still my heart, I was even allowed to take some photographs: <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/39823365112/in/dateposted/" title="v1"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4701/39823365112_c7df51f2d1_m.jpg" width="232" height="240" alt="v1"></a><br /><br />There will be more textile posts of pieces from the collection, but I'm here to tell you: if you are a textile enthusiast of any stripe, and happen to be in Northeast Iowa, a stop in Decorah at Vesterheim is a must! The range of textiles is astounding, from rugs and tapestries to woven and knitted clothing, bands and mittens, handmade leather shoes! and stockings, socks and gloves. There is always something I can learn from textiles, and to be able to examine them up close? with a docent to put them in cultural context? Brilliant! I can't <i>wait</i> for the annual meeting and this tour!!! Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-20742025866634376402017-10-12T11:14:00.004-07:002017-10-12T11:14:47.074-07:00Reading, Again!First up! Last week's post garnered more than 2! comments, so I have turned to a random number generator. Thanks to everyone for commenting, and I truly do recommend this book if you have any inclination to buy it or put it on your gift list! <br /><br />Between number 1 and 15 the generator picked...#1! Congratualtions jeekeehoo! You'll need to sned me an address: sara at sara lamb dot com (remove all spaces, etc., yadda yadda). <br /><br />Further reading: I have cleared out some magazine subscriptions that no longer served me, and found a few new ones. Below are the ones I currently take. For fiber and serious weaving:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/37399794170/in/dateposted-public/" title="Weaving and fiber"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4456/37399794170_b9a386e062_m.jpg" width="240" height="94" alt="Weaving and fiber"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.selvedge.org/">Selvedge</a>, for inspiration,<a href="http://en.xn--vvmagasinet-l8a.se/"> Vav</a> for inspiration and weaving information,<a href="http://fiberartnow.net/"> Fiber Art Now</a> for aspiration,<a href="https://www.interweave.com/store"> Piecework and SpinOff</a> for tips, tricks, how-to's and news of my community. <br /><br />Newer more self-published magazines, whose layout, content and graphic presence are clean, readable and inspiring:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/36986741863/in/dateposted-public/" title="New mags"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4467/36986741863_390b64293a_m.jpg" width="240" height="89" alt="New mags"></a><br /><a href="https://taprootmag.com/"><br />Taproot</a>, not a craft magazine per se, but has crafts, gardening/farming, herbs, and thoughtful essays, with a new compilation book of crafts and things to make from their first several years' of publication, <a href="https://knitwitmag.net/"> KnitWit</a>, and<a href="https://makingzine.com/"> Making,</a> both published by crafters/knitters, both with a clean look and some inspiring work. <br /><br />and last, if you cook (who doesn't?) my new favorite foody mag:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23804933408/in/dateposted-public/" title="If you cook .,,"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4451/23804933408_34c6951e22_m.jpg" width="238" height="240" alt="If you cook .,,"></a><br /><br />The new project by Christopher Kimball, formerly Cook's Magazine and America's Test Kitchen, now out on his own with this eminently readable and eatable offering! <br /><br />Most of these are also available at newsstands and good book stores, so you can check them out before subscribing. Or...order a single issue from their websites.<br /><br />I depend on publications for news and inspiration, and (truth in advertising here) have had work published in some of these over the years. They are mostly daydream publications for me, rather than how-to: I am inspired by the work of others, and sometimes their solutions solve my problems. They are not too "thinky", and do not try too hard to intellectualize what is, for me, and visual and tactile world. Studio work can be lonely and isolated: the people between these pages help me feel connected to the people inhabiting this little corner of the fiber world. <br /><br /><br /> Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-24913771419930158032017-10-03T11:03:00.000-07:002017-10-03T11:06:17.978-07:00Happy Spinning and Weaving Week!I have been on a tear in the studio. I have things to do! Things to make! A backlog of ideas which creates a frenzy of activity which breeds more ideas! Happily, the ideas have all been things I could make while using up the stash. Well mostly. Well, OK, I bought some stuff. <br /><br />But really! Fun! Things! :)<br /><br />In the past few months I have been on the road more than I have been home. It was mostly just a convergence of events, some I had scheduled, and some beyond my control. So...I have been gone. <br /><br />Being away from the studio does not mean I had no projects at hand...they were just handwork though, spindles, knitting, some small weaving. Sanity was preserved by these small things, but ...I missed my <i>loom!</i> I missed my<i> spinning wheels! </i> There was very little leather stabbing. <br /><br />All's well now. <br /><br />In the many weeks of travel, I also read. I was sent this new book:<br /><br /><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/37477310221/in/dateposted-public/" title="Liz&#x27;s book"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4485/37477310221_00f1dd496e_m.jpg" width="190" height="240" alt="Liz&#x27;s book"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br /><br />It is always fun to read a weaving book (for me) and when the book is full of surprises, more fun! While Liz has written this as a series of projects for the home, and for the rigid heddle loom, the information presented and the projects would make an excellent workbook for any beginning weaver. <br /><br />There is information about yarns: cotton, wools, linen, hemp and synthetics, yarn choices, setts, many weaving tips and tons of close up photos of the weaving process. Throughout the book are tips on choosing colors, fixing mistakes, and finishing options. A longtime weaver herself, Liz uses common weaving terms, and defines them, so the new weaver is introduced to the jargon she will need when consulting other weavers or weaving books. The projects are practical and beautiful, something any weaver would be proud to use and give. <br /><br />The last chapter is an in depth discussion, with many photos, of warping the rigid heddle loom in several ways. The process is easily mastered with a RH loom, and all the learning is transferable should one wish to progress to a table or floor loom at any time.<br /><br />The RH loom is a fabulous entry-level learning tool, takes up much less space than most table looms, or a small floor loom, and is also usually fold-able or easily stored away. An RH loom is quiet enough to be used in a room with other people, without interfering with movies or music, or the sound of the surf on the sands! I resisted using RH looms for a long time, and now, <i>especially this summer</i>, I am so glad I was able to use a <a href="http://schachtspindle.com/item/cricket-loom/">Cricket </a>loom while away from home. I did not have to stop weaving, just because I was traveling. <br /><br />So, grab the book, if you can, and "ta-da!" I have this copy to give away! Just leave a comment that you'd like to receive it, and if two of you reply, I'll flip a coin! If more than two reply, we'll use a random number generator. Be sure to leave me contact info if case you win!<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-68415003387176601792017-08-09T10:12:00.001-07:002017-08-09T10:12:05.887-07:00Plus FourFour new (small) leather bags!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/35655851963/in/dateposted-public/" title="4 bags"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4373/35655851963_981604a903_m.jpg" width="180" height="240" alt="4 bags"></a><br /><br />Summer has been busy, with travel, visitors, workshops and conferences. But in between times, I have had a few small bags in process. I can cheerfully say I am getting better! at this leather thing. These are varying degrees of "better", but I am very happy with them. Despite any glitches, they will all be useful, and isn't that at least one of the goals? <br /><br />1st up, a small tool bag, for me to carry leather and weaving tools in my suitcase. Previous to this, I was using a plastic pencil case... this is an improvement.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/35628777304/in/dateposted-public/" title="tool bag"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4423/35628777304_cb96140c37_m.jpg" width="240" height="160" alt="tool bag"></a><br /><br />I learned enough to make a few changes on the second version:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/35655873663/in/dateposted-public/" title="small bag"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4442/35655873663_1bc2a98a70_m.jpg" width="188" height="240" alt="small bag"></a><br /><br />It's a different gauge leather, and lined, plus the zipper has leather stops and there is a handle! So improvements already. I love this shape, and want to make a few more of these. <br /><br />Next up, a small toiletries bag:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/35655886963/in/dateposted-public/" title="toiletries bag"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4383/35655886963_8d76f691e2_m.jpg" width="240" height="201" alt="toiletries bag"></a><br /><br />I like the shape and size, I could use some practice with skiving (making leather thinner where needed) but all in all, this will do just fine for a leather bag that will be in a wet/dry/wet environment, carrying sometimes spilly wet things.<br /><br />Last, I used an inkle band to decorate a small flat bag, which worked perfectly! and which I will do again. I had very little of this leather to make this bag, so it's small and flat, but it is already full of things I need to take on the next trip:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/35628785224/in/dateposted-public/" title="inkle bag"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4425/35628785224_b2bf2a8392_m.jpg" width="240" height="150" alt="inkle bag"></a><br /><br />Turns out when I uploaded these photos, I'd forgotten to chronicle a small bag I made in May. It's for carrying cords for phone and iPad, my folding headphones, and my (now ancient) iPod. It' easy to grab from the overhead or under seat storage, and keeps everything neatly in one place. Previous to this, I'd been using a zip-lock plastic bag! This is way better!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/36066946930/in/dateposted-public/" title="cord bag"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4347/36066946930_ab3120f3b3_m.jpg" width="240" height="230" alt="cord bag"></a><br /><br />So really, it's plus five, but I am not changing the title, since it is evocative :). I worked on the four of them simultaneously: glue one, stitch another, make the zipper for another...it turned out to be efficient, rather than one bag at a time, as long as I could remember which needed what next, and glue up the next day's stitching before I quit for the evening. <br /><br />I am now up to #28 of 100, past 25% done! I have #29 going now, too, so 30 is next, for which I currently have no plans. Small bags though, are quick, easy to make, and eminently useful. There will be more to come :). Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-88684396011790709562017-06-12T07:11:00.001-07:002017-06-12T07:12:33.422-07:00StockpilingHaving a stash, having supplies, having the tools and materials needed can be a curse and a blessing. Yes, the tools and materials are there when you need them. But they need to be stored until. I have lots and lots of cotton yarns, patterns and plans for garments and textiles, and tools that I am comfortable using, and that work well for me. Sometimes, I just pull out the stuff, turn on the lights and put it all to use.<br /><br />Throwing the shuttle on miles of fabric is second nature to me: after 40 years of it, it feels like coming home. So, when I have no particular deadlines, I make fabric. Usually with a plan in mind of some kind, this time? I've been weaving to make the<a href="https://www.folkwear.com/collections/ethnic/products/turkish-coat?variant=34362758222"> Folkwear Turkish Coat</a>. I've had the pattern for a hundred years (OK well, since the last century), and it's make-it-up-or-get-rid-of-it-time. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34857605200/in/dateposted-public/" title="Cotton fabrics"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4270/34857605200_9995bbee11_n.jpg" width="320" height="235" alt="Cotton fabrics+></a><br /><br />I measured pattern pieces, and wove widths of cotton yardage that make sense in this garment's construction: I like to use selvedges if I can, so most of the very long pieces of this coat will have at least one selvedge edge, sturdy, no finishing required. This is one length 10" wide x 12 yards, another 8" wide x 8 yards, and the painted warp is 18" wide by 4 yards, for the body of the coat, the hems and front band, the back panel, the sleeves and cuffs. The very small bit of orange/gold is leftover from another project (from at least 20 years ago, I am a saver of scraps), which will become piping or an accent on the band, or ... something. <br /><br />The lining? Hand dyed indigo fabric from <a href="http://www.africancrafts.com/artisan.php?id=gasali">Gasali Adeyemo</a>: <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34872935030/in/dateposted-public/" title="Indigo fabric"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4283/34872935030_1c8c239ab7_n.jpg" width="320" height="320" alt="Indigo fabric"></a><br /><br />The next step is to cut out all the sections, match them up with lining, and stitch the lining/outer layers together, before sewing the pieces together into the coat. Danger! Many! opportunities! to mess up! I hope I have enough fabric (that my calculations are correct) and that I have enough should some part need to be re-made... If not? I have more yarn. <br /><br />This is a "muslin" of sorts: if it all works well, I may make another. and another? we shall see. I generally make at least 5 or 6 versions of any garment I work on: the first to see how it all goes, and the rest build on the that information. The subsequent garments become more individualized, more personal, and more deliberate. <br /><br />Spinning is also joy for me, and yes, something for which I have stockpiled supplies and tools. My default, the spinning I go to when I have no specific project in mind, and just want to spin, is silk. Most projects require many, many yards, so I stockpile the yarn too, thinking, dreaming and planning while I spin. <br /><br />I use a fine single with plenty of twist for everything: weaving (default) or knitting. The end use for the yarn is somewhat determined by the number of plies...but not always! So 2 ply or 3, I can knit or weave with the yarns I produce. The only thing I try to keep track of is the fiber type: Bombyx or tussah, Eri or Muga. These are alll skeins and warp chains of the tussah I am working on now:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34451276673/in/dateposted-public/" title="Silk handspun"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4250/34451276673_98c3fc3b84_n.jpg" width="297" height="320" alt="Silk handspun"></a><br /><br />I see a kimono in there. I have no need for one, so I am spinning away in a leisurely manner. Stockpiling. Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-54679384622643475392017-05-16T10:47:00.000-07:002017-05-16T10:47:42.704-07:00Better!<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34547557391/in/dateposted-public/" title="Red bag silk pile"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4163/34547557391_c6def40579_m.jpg" width="204" height="240" alt="Red bag silk pile"></a><br /><br />New Bag! Hand spun silk pile, a piece I really like for its colors. This is a do-over, it used to be this:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/14062417511/in/album-72157677540536506/" title="#4 borderline knotted pile"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7349/14062417511_ee5cb7fdf3_m.jpg" width="190" height="240" alt="#4 borderline knotted pile"></a><br /><br />When I first started combining leather and textiles in bags, I began where I was: a machine sewer, using clothing weight leather. This first iteration leather is thin, certainly won't wear well, and does not have the body I would like for a bag. I lined and interlined this, but it was still floppy, a pouch, not a bag. So, I took this apart, and in it's new life, the pocket gets a heavier gauge leather. <br /><br />There are lots of tiny cramped spots to sew on a bag: little places a standard sewing machine cannot reach. I tried a commercial sewing machine for a while, but ...same problem. And...even the commercial machine slipped stitches, every now and then. Leather is a tough customer. I was not (still am not) interested investing in a real leather sewing machine: this is, after all, an exploration, not a business. I solved this dilemma with hand sewing. I am so enamored of hand sewing that I only sew leather by hand now.<br /><br />This bag has lots of upgrades that I have learned over the (now) years! I have been learning this craft. Most are probably common sense, but some are experiential: how I use the bags, and how they hold up in use. Such as the bag from the <a href="http://saralamb.blogspot.com/2017/04/always-something.html">last </a>post. <br /><br />This pocket has leather backing, like the previous one, but! it is a stiffer leather, and...there is a larger hem at the base of the textile to stay sewn in, and! the pile patch is not sewn flat to the leather: there is a bit of a bubble, so it has room, should the pocket stretch out in use. The back of the pocket is more supple leather, so the stretch should go that way, into the body of the bag, rather than out, toward the pocket. <br /><br />Of course, I could be aware of not overloading the pocket! But that would not be a real life test. There will always be times when I stuff stuff in. And the perfect bag, mythical beast that it is, will not be something that you have to think about when loading or carrying. It will just perform. <br /><br />In comments on the last post, Marlene asked if the pockets have a lining, and yes, they do: each textile is sewn to a fabric, which is then backed with leather, and stitched to the bag. Then, the pocket back is sewn to the bag (that's the outline you see around the pocket). I think the construction <i>method</i> is acceptable; we shall see. But thanks for the suggestion, and I am open to ideas if anyone thinks I need a nudge :). <br /><br />Some of the many things I have learned:<br /><br />zippers needs stops:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34699139255/in/dateposted-public/" title="Red bag top"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4181/34699139255_3dedee296d_m.jpg" width="240" height="164" alt="Red bag top"></a><br /><br />I assemble the zippers, so they are custom lengths. They have metal stops at the bottom and top (side/side, whatever), but if they butt up to the edge of the space, they can be ornery and difficult to work. So they now have leather stops at each end.<br /><br />I made a small bag to test out inserting tabs, for easier zipper pulling:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34568600331/in/dateposted-public/" title="#24 little Bag"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4173/34568600331_8a497217e1_m.jpg" width="240" height="222" alt="#24 little Bag"></a><br /><br />This small bag, by the way, was so much fun and so gratifying to make, in a short span of time, that I fear it will be the first in a series of small bags. This one holds cords for charging phone and iPad, and iPod and some folding headphones. It goes <i>inside</i> the other bags. Matryoshka Bags! How much fun could I have????!<br /><br />This last little bag counts as #25 in the quest for 100, so I am 1/4 to my goal! Little bags should help reach it faster. and believe me, I am getting so much better with each one. My stitching is more fluid, my stitches are more uniform, I know which tight spots I need to solve first, before the bags go together, and for all intents and purposes,what I need more is repetition, repetition and more repetition. <br /><br />Things are looking up. I am getting better, not great yet, but I persevere. I was a good Girl Scout: Good, Better, Best, Never let it rest, 'til my good is better and my better best!<br /><br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-59865989350287311442017-04-28T16:15:00.000-07:002017-04-28T16:15:01.677-07:00Always Something!In my last post, I mentioned I'd made this bag:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/33997346385/in/album-72157677540536506/" title="Silk pile and leather"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2807/33997346385_3420c22763_m.jpg" width="237" height="240" alt="Silk pile and leather"></a><br /><br />Well, it was kinda perfect. It's messenger bag size and orientation, soft leather, lined, with a textile decorated zip pocket in the front for phone, glasses and keys, zip pocket in the back for boarding docs, and plenty of room inside for knitting, a tablet and a book. Travel necessities. Now you know my priorities. I kinda loved it, took on a couple of trips and it performed well.<br /><br />Except. One day I noticed a white thread sticking up along the bottom edge. On close examination, it was a warp thread working its way out of the bottom hem. Oh dear. When I got home I looked closely, and the warp was not alone, it had friends slipping out of the construction. Quick fix for a trip coming up? I glued the whole thing down. When I got home, I could examine and repair. Or replace...?<br /><br />Turns out leather stretches when you put things into its pockets. And textiles do not...necessarily. This is the textile's 3rd incarnation, and all that re-working meant there was very little edge to sew down, and some had come up:<br /><br /><a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34193640951/in/dateposted-public/" title="Broken!"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2837/34193640951_618472d8e6_m.jpg" width="240" height="183" alt="Broken!"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br /><br />What to do?<br /><br />I ran my finger along the bottom edge and the whole bottom edge came up very easily:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34284271546/in/dateposted-public/" title="More broken!"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2823/34284271546_f845d4650f_m.jpg" width="240" height="149" alt="More broken!"></a><br /><br />Clearly, a failure just waiting to happen. This had been a canvas bag before it was a leather bag, so it had likely been distressed in the un-making of this bag:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/14374894458/in/album-72157677540536506/" title="#5 virgo pisces"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2936/14374894458_f9b4f05086_m.jpg" width="236" height="240" alt="#5 virgo pisces"></a><br /><br />I like the pile piece, it's silk, its imagery is personal to me, and it seemed like it would have more years of use in it...but not as a scrap, falling apart as I used the bag. I am not going for that "used up" look, "distressed" or whatever you might wish to call it. <br /><br />So, I had a few choices: <br />a) rip off the whole textile and replace it<br />b) stitch it in place hairy edge and all<br />c) apply glue and hope for the best<br />d) try to repair as if this were someone's favorite object<br /><br />I asked a few friends. One comment struck home:<a href="http://afewgreenfigs.blogspot.com/"> Devin</a> said "It is more fun to fix things I think, sometimes, than make something new. It spurs creativity."<br /><br />He is right. I chose "d" and began the process of repair. The bottom edge was "mostly" intact, and none of the warps had pulled up into the body of the pile. Most of the soumak edge was still present. If I were presented with a textile like this to stabilize, I would be able to, by handstitching, and covering the edge with cloth or ...leather!. <br /><br />First, I cut a piece of leather the length of the bottom edge. I stitched in on, through all layers, then glued and folded it over, covering the raw edge. The I re-stitched the whole thing down in the same space again:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34194358621/in/dateposted-public/" title="Fixed!"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4178/34194358621_2538afb653_m.jpg" width="240" height="154" alt="Fixed!"></a><br /><br />We shall see how this holds up. The stitching is not as secure as I would like: I tried to leave ease so when the pocket is full, and the leather behind this textile stretches, the textile will have room to give. I do have a few trips where I will pack this up. In the meantime, I am making another bag, using some of the information I have learned from this. Always learning. Always something new. <br /><br />It is what keeps me going, frankly, the part I love best: learning. That, and all the doing! <br /><br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-3846305639610286082017-04-12T10:19:00.000-07:002017-04-12T10:19:00.312-07:00The Solace of MakingI have buried myself in my studio for months. It is a place of great hope! which is sometimes dashed by reality.... <br /><br />There were Christmas presents:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/32206912621/in/dateposted-public/" title="#16 Jackson&#x27;s suitcase"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/615/32206912621_1827595dd5_m.jpg" width="240" height="151" alt="#16 Jackson&#x27;s suitcase"></a><br /><br />Another suitcase, for another doll, for another grandchild:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/33867980671/in/dateposted-public/" title="Closet!"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2919/33867980671_3ffbf6f585_m.jpg" width="189" height="240" alt="Closet!"></a><br /><br />This little guy got another outfit sewn for him, a pillow, mattress, and a handwoven blanket!<br /><br />Grandchild #1 got a closet! Made by grandpa:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/33840024912/in/dateposted-public/" title="Closet!"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2878/33840024912_f49e2c26c9_m.jpg" width="203" height="240" alt="Closet!"></a><br /><br />Filled with dollclothes, made by grandma:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/33184832903/in/dateposted-public/" title="Closet!"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2866/33184832903_269e40e9d6_m.jpg" width="240" height="229" alt="Closet!"></a><br /><br />Then a gift for a friend, yep, still Christmas, so long ago now!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/31516088013/in/dateposted-public/" title="#15 Deb&#x27;s bag"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/767/31516088013_0c0f1e9f17_m.jpg" width="183" height="240" alt="#15 Deb&#x27;s bag"></a><br /><br />It was her embroidery, now on her bag :)!<br /><br />Another bag, this time for me, for knitting: <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/32463107205/in/dateposted-public/" title="#19 knotted pile and leather"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/383/32463107205_df5f136d4f_m.jpg" width="214" height="240" alt="#19 knotted pile and leather"></a><br /><br />This had to be altered after finishing... it had a zipper on the top and I found it to be annoying: yarn snagged. I took off the top and finished the edge, and I am much happier now! An open top bag means it does not travel as well, but I am not at a loss for bags with which to travel.<br /><br />Next up, lots of silk spinning. Blue and white silk, dyed as top, and when it was spun up, it looked like worn denim, so I used that as the plan for the fabric:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/32287764256/in/dateposted-public/" title="Denim silk"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/528/32287764256_7af14e3622_m.jpg" width="234" height="240" alt="Denim silk"></a><br /><br />It gives me great delight to spin bombyx silk into a "worn denim" shirt :). <br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/32425298150/in/dateposted-public/" title="handspun silk denim"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/632/32425298150_219f9bb7a9_m.jpg" width="240" height="200" alt="handspun silk denim"></a><br /><br />I spun a lot of cotton too:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/33074880106/in/dateposted-public/" title="Cotton singles"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/732/33074880106_e136c367a3_m.jpg" width="240" height="240" alt="Cotton singles"></a><br /><br />And wove it up into another scarf. This cotton is a bit tighter twist than my previous scarf (AKA the first one I made out of handspun cotton) and the fabric is crisp. So far. Until it's used I will not know much...So I have been wearing it! I goes nicely with the worn denim silk shirt :). <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/32983029650/in/dateposted-public/" title="Handspun cotton"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3780/32983029650_323de7ee0b_m.jpg" width="195" height="240" alt="Handspun cotton"></a><br /><br />I have also beeen re-purposing! That means I have been taking apart some of the early bags that I made:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/31516063043/in/dateposted-public/" title="Former bags"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/466/31516063043_6c5f4620d9_m.jpg" width="240" height="207" alt="Former bags"></a><br /><br />And remaking them into better bags:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/create/wallart/5617808373/edit" title="Silk pile and leather"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2807/33997346385_3420c22763_m.jpg" width="237" height="240" alt="Silk pile and leather"></a><br /><br />This one was a total winner, went with me on several trips and performed perfectly! It felt good, looked good and worked well, until.<br /><br />Textile falilure. some of the warps are pulling out. Too much fussing? too many re-works? Dunno. It's in time-out until I figure out if and how to fix it, or whether to scrap the pile part and replace with something else. Inspiration will strike, someday. But this is a yet another example of the value of finishing things: I learn something every time :). The perfect bag right off the workbench may not hold up to use. Thus, not the perfect bag.<br /><br />What's a maker to do? Make another one. Updates to follow! Because world events have driven me to the studio. It's the best place to hide. <br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-10211946928227529612017-01-20T06:54:00.002-08:002017-01-20T06:54:35.947-08:00I Cling to HopeYears ago, I made "Protest Wear", like the pussy hats so prominently in the making this go-'round.<br /><br />I still believe in their messages:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/281277871/in/album-72157601602996631/" title="choice hat"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/81/281277871_3bb7cddb0d_m.jpg" width="240" height="212" alt="choice hat"></a><br />Choice<br /><br />and:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/281285428/in/album-72157601602996631/" title="dona hat"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/121/281285428_7945da912e_m.jpg" width="240" height="184" alt="dona hat"></a><br /><br />Dona Nobis Pacem.<br /><br />Today seems like a good day to wear one of them.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-1704951915197660662017-01-15T17:05:00.000-08:002017-01-15T17:05:56.595-08:00Standing Tall<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/32184159842/in/album-72157677540536506/" title="#17 Spindle case"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/422/32184159842_b0f98a387f_m.jpg" width="98" height="240" alt="#17 Spindle case"></a><br /><br />Spindle case! Leather covered tube, in fact:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/32184178822/in/album-72157677540536506/" title="Inside spindle case"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/623/32184178822_9059da7891_m.jpg" width="127" height="240" alt="Inside spindle case"></a><br /><br />Honestly, I just drink the stuff to get the tube....and now? there are spindles and wool/silk top inside, ready to hit the road. <br /><br />Beads form the closure: <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/32334360395/in/album-72157677540536506/" title="Spindle bead!"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/745/32334360395_af8320e432_m.jpg" width="125" height="240" alt="Spindle bead!"></a><br /><br />Bells from Tibet and some beads from Afghanistan, and, did you notice? A small spindle whorl! <br /><br />How meta!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-13268739521985689572016-12-07T11:29:00.000-08:002016-12-07T11:29:17.359-08:00Under the Banner of CraftThe basic skills of all of the crafts that I practice, spinning, dyeing, weaving and knitting, can be learned simply and quickly: start by following instructions from a person, a book, magazine or online resource. Then find other practitioners who pass on tips and tricks and a deeper understanding than just "how to"; the "why" of some things. Take some classes. Go to a conference, look at other people's work. Then practice, practice and practice. The practice is what takes the time. Not the learning: that comes in flashes. <br /><br />The myth that the ease of learning means ease of mastery is false. Mastery takes application, understanding beyond the surface, and understanding of the physical, as well as the aesthetic forces that we are working with. Mastery means an understanding across the spectrum of the craft. There are very few master weavers; it is too broad a field. We tend to specialize. <br /><br />Mastery also means application over time, and there is no shortcut. 5 years does not a master make, 20 years may not a master make if there is no studious application, no variation of application, no delving into "why", no learning from mistakes, no mistakes made, and no creative solutions to mistakes. <br /><br />Repeating the same thing over and over makes one a master of that <i>one thing</i>. There are sock knitting masters, for instance, and lace shawl knitting masters, for instance. Many spinners-of-sock-yarns, or dyers of multi-colored tops. These practitioners are not necessarily masters of their whole craft. Yet. <br /><br />And yet? From the moment we learn, we begin to pass on what we know. The most enthusiastic teachers, are often the beginners: look! at what I found out! We <i>need</i> this enthusiasm. We <i>need</i> these beginners sometimes, to remind us that what we do is fun, most of the time! We need new blood and we need new ideas, people and innovations in passing along the craft. It is such a welcome sight: all these new teachers taking up the banner. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/13625034565/in/datetaken/" title="leather and silk pile bag"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/4/3750/13625034565_feb7985fbb_m.jpg" width="214" height="240" alt="leather and silk pile bag"></a><br /><br />I am working on a series of leather-and-textile bags that will help me perfect my skills. I have taken a few classes, I read online, I have even been to a leather show (!! there are leather shows and there are leather shows, this one was for <i>makers</i>!). Learning this skill means I have to invest the time. Learning this skill means that I don't have as much time for the other crafts that I do: they have been on hold, mentally and physically. When I say mentally on hold, it means that I am forgetting some things. I am not thinking about those things and the process slips back to the back of my mind. I have to dig for the information, and as a teacher that is awkward. <br /><br />So I am cutting back on teaching. I need time and headspace to practice what I am learning. I will be away from my studio much less. This year, I'll be in North Carolina at <a href="http://www.triangleweavers.org/">Chapel Hill</a>, in Washington State for the <a href="http://monthcal.nwregionalspinners.org/">Whidbey Spin-in</a> April 1st, and in Pennsylvania at <a href="http://www.mafa-conference-2017.org/">MAFA in July</a>. <br /><br />That's it. No more! I hope to see some of you at one or another of these venues. The rest of the time?<br /><br />I'll be here:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/2168532571/in/photolist-efwC1S-efc7KQ-7JD6EB-7mRFR2-4gtsKQ-Bm2i2-4iCibB-4iGiou-5Zg7d7-ngtxaG-nUcjM-nUcjP-rUNxk-dC7fJ-bWy8H-a4TGo-nUcjK-qAny-qAnz-7JZ9h-coUbRN-E3EW" title="yurt1b"><img src="https://c4.staticflickr.com/3/2280/2168532571_b05a3a78d4_m.jpg" width="240" height="171" alt="yurt1b"></a><br /><br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-23607463987806872032016-09-28T08:54:00.001-07:002016-09-28T09:01:49.141-07:00Goals<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/29985931285/in/dateposted-public/" title="Deb&#x27;s embroidery and tapestry"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8556/29985931285_b0c08e1404_n.jpg" width="320" height="173" alt="Deb&#x27;s embroidery and tapestry"></a><br /><br />Last Spring I visited a <a href="http://www.debmenz.com/HomePage">friend of mine</a>, who is an embroiderer, spinner and dyer. Deb has been developing a new line of work, and was setting goals for herself, taking her work in a new direction. We talked at length about how one does this; the new direction is often awkward, at first. Some of our habits from creating anything will apply, such as color choices, image choices, thread choices. So some aspects of the new work are present from the old work and do not need to be learned anew.<br /><br />But some things are new: new materials, new ways to use old materials, new tools. <br /><br />She told me about a friend of hers, a painter, who was learning a new medium, and decided to paint 100 small paintings in the new medium, experiments, quick studies, just 100 paintings, to become comfortable with the material, and test the media out to see how to incorporate its qualities into her work.<br /><br />This seemed like a grand idea on "how to train yourself". I do not know if it is an original idea (off to google: can't find it in the first few hits of "making 100 things", most were about a 100 things challenge to de clutter!) (I laugh because making 100 *new* things will only add to my clutter!). At any rate, Deb decided she would make 100 small embroideries, and I took on the challenge of making 100 leather bags. <br /><br />I am not starting from scratch. I will count, but offhand I've made (or am in the process of making, some are still unfinished) 13 leather/textile bags already (If, and I do, one counts the Pink Suitcase). This is in addition to the many all-textile bags I have made, and the beaded bags, which number in the "over 50" category. Some day soon I will do a few posts about the "old" bags, those in beads and knotted pile. <br /><br />So! I have about 87 leather & textile bags to go. IF! I do make 100 bags, I will have learned a great deal. My hands will be more able, I will know the materials better, know the tools, I will have refined the tools I need to do what I want to do, my mind will be able to think more clearly in this medium, and my eyes and hands will see which designs worked or did not work. <br /><br />I may feel competent well before 100 bags, and get bored. This is a goal, not a life sentence. I can change it at any time, if I feel I have reached the ends I wish to achieve. I am energized by the idea of 100 bags, big and small, some will be very small, and some, like a few of those first 13 bags, will be taken apart after construction, the parts re-used, the textile re-applied to another bag, so that I waste less, and have fewer bags when all is said and done. <br /><br />After all, how many bags does one need? I am using them as teaching tools, samples, and the losers will be cut up and re-used. <br /><br />Deb and I worked on our<a href="http://www.debmenz.com/Books_and_Videos"> dyebooks</a> a few weeks ago, Color By Number, then we took some time to make a few things. I made three knotted pile panels for 3 separate bags:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/29902452991/in/dateposted-public/" title="Deb&#x27;s embroidery and tapestry"><img src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/9/8081/29902452991_9a84538d27_n.jpg" width="320" height="179" alt="Deb&#x27;s embroidery and tapestry"></a><br /><br />I also made her finish the small embroidery above (which she does not care for, but which I love!) and she gave me the little tapestry above, which she says has hung around her studio for years. <br /><br />So I have 5 (!) more bags in the queue. See how easy this is? I am anxious! to get started. I can't wait to see how these come out. I have planned and changed plans already in my head several times, it is so much fun to think about!<br /><br />And that's why I do all of this to begin with: I totally love doing it. I love thinking about it, planning them, not necessarily having them, but having the joy of making them. 100? We shall see :). Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-68994367578245870202016-08-20T06:16:00.003-07:002016-08-20T06:16:41.652-07:00 Pink Leather!What does one do with pink leather?<br /><br />Why make a doll case, of course!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/29035467756/in/dateposted-public/" title="Pink leather doll case!"><img src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8167/29035467756_862f1d3ef4_n.jpg" width="320" height="163" alt="Pink leather doll case!"></a><br /><br />And what does one put into a doll case?<br /><br />why a doll, of course!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/29035473946/in/dateposted-public/" title="Doll, in case!"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8226/29035473946_129ce3a41a_n.jpg" width="305" height="320" alt="Doll, in case!"></a><br /><br />Meet Flower! Someone is six now. Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-11574385475678821172016-07-23T09:12:00.002-07:002016-07-23T09:12:47.368-07:00Bam!<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/28210164350/in/dateposted-public/" title="Botanical print tote"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8747/28210164350_d0b9bb872d_n.jpg" width="230" height="320" alt="Botanical print tote"></a><br /><br />A new tote bag! No, I am not that fast. Yet. This was in progress, along with a few others, for a while. I am just in a finishing jag :). <br /><br />This tote has a pocket-panel of a botanical print done by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/chicthrills">a local friend.</a> I have a stack of fabrics from her, and will be using more of them as pockets like this. They are <i>so beautiful</i>! <br /><br />I totally love this bag. It has the requisite open pocket in front, zippered pocket on the back, the handles are "just the right length for me"<small>(tm)</small>, the leather feels good, is a good weight, even with the lining, and the stitching is good! Not perfect mind you, but "man on a running horse" good enough. <br /><br />Leather takes time outs, for glue to dry, for hardware to arrive, for lining to set, whatever. So I have several projects going at a time. Which is annoying because as I learn things, I may have already passed that part of another bag, and yet? I still need to finish it. Move on. I am going back to repair, replace do-over on some of the earlier bags, but some are just...learning experiences. <br /><br />But this one? Totally fine :). <br /><br /><br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-64888704413369282962016-07-01T11:29:00.001-07:002016-07-01T11:29:03.547-07:00Maiden VoyageSo the newest leather bag went on a trip:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/28021233985/in/dateposted-public/" title="Travel bag"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7513/28021233985_73fefde659_m.jpg" width="197" height="240" alt="Travel bag"></a><br /><br />Apparently I have a standard for "what makes a good bag". I'm guessing we all do, but here's mine: open pocket in the front (may have a magnetic closure). Zipped pocket along the back, zipped top, open pocket inside (and now I will add also a zipped pocket inside...ahem), adjustable strap, and zippers all opening the correct way for a right hander to be carrying the bag on her right shoulder (i.e. from the front, to the back, in that orientation). <br /><br />This bag met all the requirements except two: I wanted another zipped pocket inside for essentials but not essentials that need quick access. Also: the very last piece sewn in was sewn in backwards... ::sigh:: ... so that the zip opens the wrong way. It opens the way a person who carries their bag on their left should would want. <br /><br />In my defence? It was one of those pieces that is sewn on inside out and backwards, then turned, and, much to my chagrin, I apparently messed up on the visualization of how this would all work right side out. Darn! So, I carried it on my left side. Huh. A little odd, but doable. Easy fix!<br /><br />But :)! It's a comfortable size, not too heavy, much more was learned about stitching and construction and leather and and and. I have a fully lined handstitched bag about 11" x 13" with a front pocket big enough to hold a book, my phone and glasses, an outside zip pocket for my boarding pass and ID, and a center section capacious enough for tablet, headphones, and other travel essentials. <br /><br />And! I like it! The pile on the pocket is Gila National Monument (to me, not literally), so it's also a memento of a trip to the Southwest. Go Me!<br /><br />What trip did I take? A short jaunt to see some munchkins:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/27741179570/in/dateposted-public/" title="Slide!"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7433/27741179570_f542a73691_m.jpg" width="169" height="240" alt="Slide!"></a><br /><br />So we played and swam and climbed and slid!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/27407644333/in/dateposted-public/" title="Climbing"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7520/27407644333_352a9dbf1f_m.jpg" width="179" height="240" alt="Climbing"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/27919291332/in/dateposted-public/" title="Climber2"><img src="https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7355/27919291332_98dc137a60_m.jpg" width="181" height="240" alt="Climber2"></a><br /><br />Sometimes, playing in the dirt is just the best thing. Therapy for child and Grandma both :).Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-77962630978882710292016-06-13T14:18:00.001-07:002016-06-13T14:18:25.451-07:00Park PouchSo! I finished a small bag:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/27041476934/in/dateposted-public/" title="Park pouch"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7432/27041476934_ac9a8ec2a0_m.jpg" width="218" height="240" alt="Park pouch"></a><br /><br />When I visit my grandchildren, we take a walk to one or the other of two local parks. We also just walk around the neighborhood, sometimes stopping for such diversions as back hoes, dump trucks and skip loaders. Sometimes some of us are on bikes, or scooters or in the double or single stroller, and the others of us push or carry or haul these things around in various ways.<br /><br />I don't need to also haul my purse around, but I need sunglasses, hand wipes, my phone and lip balm: a few necessities. I used to stuff these things in various pockets, and they are heavy and bulge-y, so this small pouch was born:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/27041532494/in/dateposted-public/" title="Park pouch 2"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7397/27041532494_1ed68f8fdd_m.jpg" width="240" height="221" alt="Park pouch 2"></a><br /><br />Cross body strap, adjustable, pocket in front for phone (which doubles as a camera and must be easily accessed), inside pocket for glasses, lip balm, tissues and wipes, and ... band aids. Everything a grandma should need (save for water and snacks) for a walk around the block (or 2 or 4 blocks)with two small children. <br /><br />It's full now, loaded with all the things. Ready for the next walk! later this month.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/27041987854/in/dateposted-public/" title="Park pouch"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7275/27041987854_8670e2f683_m.jpg" width="240" height="209" alt="Park pouch"></a><br /><br />And the post script? The family is moving. <br /><br />Maybe there will be a park near their new house? Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-81870102070132798312016-05-27T12:18:00.000-07:002016-05-27T12:21:14.269-07:00PerfectSo, months, nay years ago now (May 2014) I took a cotton spinning class from <a href="http://www.cottonspinning.com/">Joan Ruane</a>. (if you get a chance to take her class, do it!) At any rate, I spun some cotton, and wove the first bit up into a shawl:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/14501496271/in/photolist-GDTEah-GDYcND-BYqQjM-BW8fpu-BpVbVc-BivToF-BJKdM6-BPJ6Uf-ASMqta-BMTLG9-B8YkTc-B4EoeL-ruKEhw-srL7dk-rUotYK-pDUNq9-qcRwZ1-pCpb2M-oMn286-ppcwhh-o6CwWq-o6rXBM-nPg2LK-o6CAuN-5nzLwp-6wuCf8-en2q6-7JW2g" title="cotton fabric 001"><img src="https://c8.staticflickr.com/4/3891/14501496271_170be6112a_n.jpg" width="320" height="240" alt="cotton fabric 001"></a><br /><br />I like this shawl, the fabric is nice, it's soft and drapey, just what a shawl should be.<br /><br />I wanted to make myself a jacket, in the standard style I make, and for that, I wanted a sturdier fabric. I began by spinning the cotton with more twist. When I had enough spun, I ran the warps and dyed them, theoretically a dark blue and red. BUT!!<br /><br />I omitted the boiling part of the "before dyeing" with cotton. As in, I soaked the warps in very hot water with detergent, but did not boil them. <br /><br />The result? was less than stellar:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/26683947053/in/dateposted-public/" title="Hs cotton thrums and discharged"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7050/26683947053_e76c6197e8_n.jpg" width="320" height="272" alt="Hs cotton thrums and discharged"></a><br /><br />What I have left of that original color is in these thrums. The theoretical dark blue was "baby blue" and the red was decidedly pink. The gold was nice, but could not save the other colors. Ick. <br /><br />I set up the warp and started weaving anyway. I tried to tell myself that I would like it woven up. I could hardly weave the thing it was so annoying. I stopped weaving, I started again, I stopped and started again and again, until finally I just got over myself wove the thing off.<br /><br />I did not like it.<br /><br />SO! I dipped the whole fabric in discharge solution. That's it, under the thrums, in the photo above. It was acceptable, pale colors, almost neutrals, and I could stand it. I sewed up the jacket.<br /><br />Turns out, I could not wear it. Or rather, I would not wear it, never chose it to put on. Being almost all white, it just did not look good on me, too pale, too white, too, I don't know: insipid?<br /><br />So yesterday, I over-dyed the whole garment:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/26683060154/in/dateposted-public/" title="Cotton jacket dyed"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7286/26683060154_cd018e4c15_n.jpg" width="241" height="320" alt="Cotton jacket dyed"></a><br /><br />It came out a great blue: easy to wear with denim and jeans, and even the stripes of former-pink look good, subtle, but evident, and ... not pink!<br /><br />Now I think I will be wearing this more. If I were standing in line at the grocery store, no one would ever guess the trauma this yarn and fabric havesendured. No one would ever really guess that this is handspun, handwoven, and (hah!) hand-dyed cotton. <br /><br />Perfect!<br /><br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-56696133165801101522016-05-15T15:57:00.001-07:002016-05-15T15:57:35.061-07:00Learning, Practicing, PerfectingI have been packing and unpacking samples for recent and upcoming series of classes: pack for this class, come home unpack, re-pack for this class, come home unpack and re-pack: lather, rinse, repeat. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/4195392633/in/album-72157617948942805/" title="ranch fabrics"><img src="https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4048/4195392633_b9223cdd8f_m.jpg" width="240" height="219" alt="ranch fabrics"></a><br /><br />Also, if you have been reading for any length of time, you will remember that I am learning a new set of skills: working with leather. It has been a little frustrating to stitch leather in small chunks of time. I need longer stretches in the studio, to develop a rhythm to the process. As I sit and stitch in those rare moments these last few months, I know I am improving: my hands move more fluidly and without thought, my stitches are more even, I am more often than not able to stitch a straight line, and a straight line in the correct path, using the right size needle, the right size thread, and sometimes even consistently the right color of thread. The things I did not know until I started down this path are legion.<br /><br />As it is with every hand craft, it looks easy enough from the outside. Once one starts down the path of learning <i>anything</i>, really, one realizes how very much there is to learn. In making, there are tools and supplies to consider, and then there is the actual handwork: movement of the hands, proper holding of and use of tools, finishing of materials, tips, tricks and alas, simply time, producing a body of work, which one hopes shows signs of improvement as one works. Individual pieces making up the body of work are not guaranteed to improve, or even materialize, merely with the passage of time. One has to put in the hours.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/18220058174/in/album-72157617948942805/" title="Silk scarf"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5518/18220058174_30b69cea28_m.jpg" width="237" height="240" alt="Silk scarf"></a><br /><br />At some point in my weaving path, I realized I no longer thought at all about the process of weaving: how to set up the loom, which tools I'd need, which steps proceed in what order, what threads I'd use and how to sett them, how wide and long a thing needed to be, which weft would work for the effect I wanted, etc. All of these parts melded into a seamless process of spinning-dyeing-weaving-finishing. This took about 20 years. <br /><br />That's about the point I started beadwork:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/34595633/in/album-72157601595686070/" title="celtic carpet bag in sun"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/23/34595633_732173ffcf_m.jpg" width="221" height="240" alt="celtic carpet bag in sun"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/36835587/in/album-72157601595686070/" title="beach bag2"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/25/36835587_e93aa3ae40_m.jpg" width="207" height="240" alt="beach bag2"></a><br /><br />It was easier to become adept, and build up a body of work, because I more or less knew how I wanted to work with color and material, it was a matter of learning the <i>process</i>, then repeating it until it became second nature, and I could instead think of the product's look, form, function, style, color and utility. I was seriously involved in this process for about 10 years. <br /><br />Then, I started weaving knotted pile:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/3909583/in/album-72157601595686070/" title="silk bag front"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/3/3909583_16cb408e2c_m.jpg" width="231" height="240" alt="silk bag front"></a><br /><br />Much of the graphic imagery I'd learned translated from beadwork, but I needed to learn new hand skills, and which yarns would be best used at what sett, how colors worked in this technique, and refine a few processes of bag construction:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/147004714/in/album-72157601595686070/" title="pile bags"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/51/147004714_39d5899fb6_m.jpg" width="240" height="210" alt="pile bags"></a><br /><br />I've been at this for 16 years now. I feel pretty confident that I can do the work I want, know the materials and the process well enough.<br /><br />I got sidetracked for a few years writing a few books. When I got back to doing my own work, I had to ease into it again. After spending several years thinking about how to tell people what I do and why, and then traveling a bit to show them how I do what I do and why, I have to find my own path once again. I am going to close a few doors, stop doing a few things, in order to focus on this. <br /><br />I realized this month that I have a standard for leather bags now. I did not know that I did, nor was I conscious that I was producing the same bag wearing different colors over and over. Apparently a good bag has to have a front pocket, a zipper top:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/17128239578/in/album-72157601595686070/" title="opulent leather FB"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7734/17128239578_ceb0498b4c_m.jpg" width="220" height="240" alt="opulent leather FB"></a> <br /><br />also a long handle, cross-body and or shoulder strap, preferably adjustable: <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/14062417511/in/album-72157601595686070/" title="borderline knotted pile"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7349/14062417511_ee5cb7fdf3_m.jpg" width="190" height="240" alt="borderline knotted pile"></a><br /><br />and a zippered secure pocket in the back and an open pocket inside:<br /> <br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/14374894458/in/dateposted-public/" title="virgo pisces"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2936/14374894458_f9b4f05086_m.jpg" width="236" height="240" alt="virgo pisces"></a><br /><br />Now that I know this about the bags I apparently want to make, I can focus on the process: how to make the bags I apparently want to make: which leather to choose, which thread to use, what materials I should use for the embellishments, how to make the strap just right: the right gauge and length for the project, how to make the pocket(s) big enough, secured or not, and where to place them, etc. <br /><br />Learning new things is energizing. Being an adult learner can be hard: we are accustomed to being adept. Being a beginner means accepting "less than perfect" for a while. But I <i>know</i> perfection in working. It is that moment when the making just flows through you, without thought. It is <i>then</i> that one can create, be creative with the materials, produce individual work, from oneself, not following instructions or patterns. <br /><br />Until then, I practice. It's been a couple of years now. I expect a few more in the "practicing" stage before I can "not think about the process and materials", until, in essence, I know the path and my hands know the process, and I make something that is mine. I've been there before. I know how it feels and this is not it, yet. It's still exciting and fun, an adventure and a way to open new doors, if only in my head. Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-45709096505315948822016-03-22T13:12:00.000-07:002016-03-22T13:12:01.719-07:00Bingo!Marta, in the comments <a href="http://saralamb.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-bloom-is-off-rose.html">last post</a>, got it totally and completely right:<br /><br /><b>"It's okay to enjoy the process as much, maybe more, than the product."<i></i></b><br /><br />The process in the whole point, really. Yes, I try to think of useful things to make, and things that will get used, mostly, not just piled up in a glass case.<br /><br />But the making is the thing. The reason for doing all of this handwork. We all know we could buy socks cheaper, more quickly and more easily than make them, and yet? The making is the thing, not the having of the thing. <br /><br />I also got one very cogent question by email:<br /><br />Why do you finish things that are flawed? Aren't you always reminded of the flaws and the failure?<br /><br />Well, true enough, we, most of us makers, have the habit of pointing out the flaws to anyone who stops to take notice, or compliment our work. But the making is learning not only how to make "flawless" (is there such a thing?), but also how to fix, repair, adjust and yes, sometimes just move on and ignore. A master craftsman is not one who makes no mistakes, a master is one who can repair mistakes so no one else knows they happened. <br /><br /><i>Repairs mistakes.</i><br /><br />Big life lesson in that! Repair what we break. Repair what we don't make flawless the first (OK, second, third or tenth) time out. Learn. How to make, and how to make better. <br /><br />Darn, mend, repair skips in weaving, accept a certain wobbliness and move on. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/24471721/in/album-72157601595686070/" title="moonshadow"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/23/24471721_171041ebc9_m.jpg" width="161" height="240" alt="moonshadow"></a><br /><small>random photo of a bag, with mistakes! from my flickr site, so this post is not All Words</small><br /><br />I realized this week, while making some minor mis-steps, that I do not ever make things that are metro-perfect, with modern clean lines and everything straight. My metier, if you will, is the off-kilter, the not-symmetrical, the hand-of-the-maker and the aesthetic of wabi-sabi. Bohemian, in current terms (a nice way of saying Old Hippie, if you ask me). <br /><br />Realizing and accepting that makes all those funny corners, and crooked stitches so much easier to bear!<br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-53025724955329096312016-03-19T13:39:00.000-07:002016-03-19T13:39:21.798-07:00The Bloom Is Off The RoseI have several projects going, right now, some with more of a deadline pressure than others. I flit. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/25613572460/in/dateposted-public/" title="Leather"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1570/25613572460_c226d6242a_m.jpg" width="240" height="219" alt="Leather"></a><br /><br />One project is literally over a year late. A birthday present. It is very close to finished. But it sits. I have two other very compelling fun things I want to work on, but can't seem to...as I started yet another project yesterday, or the day before, recently, and work on it as if it were the deadline project. <br /><br />From one project to the other, I work on this one and then that, as the mood strikes, not, sadly in this case, as the deadline nears. What makes a project "work worthy"? Why work on this one now, incessantly, and then not touch it for weeks??<br /><br />It occurred to me today: the bloom, in each case, is off the rose. Each project has gotten to a point where the fatal flaw, which will keep it from ever being perfect, from ever living up to my imagination, has been reached. A mistake. Perhaps I have chosen the wrong materials, the materials that won't do what I want. Or my skills are not there yet... I am struggling to make this into even a shadow of the mental picture I had when I began. Sometimes I can fix it. Yet sometimes the mistake will be as permanent as the material object.<br /><br />This is the essential struggle of EVERY craftsperson, in every medium. I made a mistake. The project is no longer as much fun to work on, <i>the anticipation of the perfect beauty is lost.</i><br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/25914135795/in/dateposted-public/" title="Leather"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1500/25914135795_765c2c0779_m.jpg" width="191" height="240" alt="Leather"></a><br /><br />I force myself to press on. Finish. Learn something, if only that I have the stamina to finish. Likely other people don't see the flaw as I do, or if they do, it is not as significant to them as it is to me. So, what? This particular Magnum Opus is not quite so Magnum? Plan another project that WILL work out. <br /><br />The planning is always so much fun! <br /><br /> <br />Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-45267578304354664002016-03-15T12:04:00.000-07:002016-03-15T12:04:13.511-07:00Color and JoyA few random shots of recent color inspiration:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/25719341161/in/photostream/" title="Color"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1483/25719341161_bd59319d3a_n.jpg" width="238" height="320" alt="Color"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/25183931784/in/photostream/" title="Color"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1669/25183931784_d922190e00_n.jpg" width="181" height="320" alt="Color"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/25788345016/in/photostream/" title="Color"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1483/25788345016_8b195c2295_n.jpg" width="320" height="193" alt="Color"></a><br /><br />colors through colors:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/25693480402/in/photostream/" title="Color"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1665/25693480402_e2a925fdb4_n.jpg" width="101" height="320" alt="Color"></a><br /><br />and joy!<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/25719343751/in/photostream/" title="Joy"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1638/25719343751_0b9bbefe5a_n.jpg" width="220" height="320" alt="Joy"></a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-90037964962736985752016-01-04T09:57:00.003-08:002016-01-04T09:57:47.522-08:00Relax! It's the New YearGift Giving is over, the making is done, and I can post a few of the pictures I remembered to take:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23878272880" title="image"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1469/23878272880_7372c14b2d_m.jpg" width="151" height="240" alt="image"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23545593564/in/dateposted-public/" title="image"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1534/23545593564_68937cc108_m.jpg" width="240" height="237" alt="image"></a><br /><br />two kidlets got new blankets, rabbit fur mitts, and cowls, one a kitten, and one a fox! One little boy was a squirmer and had to be held down for the photo! The cowls are from an<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/MondoRotondo"> Etsy seller</a>, and inspired the rabbit fur mitts to go with. <br /><br />The blankets are actually not a Christmas gift, they are fort making implements, and each came with a lantern and clothespins. Winter time is perfect fort making time...<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/24147690416/in/dateposted-public/" title="image"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1671/24147690416_57df8ee7dd_m.jpg" width="198" height="240" alt="image"></a><br /><br />Their Daddy also made a bench out of old snowboards, and yes! I actually made them go outside in the cold snowy morning in their PJs and without shoes to take a pic!<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/24147684076/in/dateposted-public/" title="image"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1559/24147684076_88e9b578af_m.jpg" width="240" height="177" alt="image"></a><br /><br />I made two of these:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23545487884/in/dateposted-public/" title="image"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1570/23545487884_ba3d9f4243_m.jpg" width="240" height="203" alt="image"></a><br /><br />leather dopp kits: one for a traveler, and one for a firefighter who has to keep his stuff in a locker. Great fun! and I am getting better, still learning, but much more confident, and with each leather project I am improving. Two of the previous projects are now under the knife for some alterations. Even that is fun! My hands are much stronger now, from stitching and punching leather. Stronger and more accurate... like everything else, time, practice and project after project helps me learn these new skills. <br /><br />Now? A bit of knitting:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23545503044/in/dateposted-public/" title="image"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1617/23545503044_71811d44a2_m.jpg" width="240" height="159" alt="image"></a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/24147596386/in/dateposted-public/" title="image"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1460/24147596386_346337b81e_m.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="image"></a><br /><br />Glove covers made of scrap yarns: they sorta match, kinda. The next step is to make leather mitts that cover these: then I'll be ready for all weathers! I'll make big ones like the rabbit mitts I made for the kidlets, with knitted cuffs. More to come, now that I can relax and get back to the normal pace of making, post holiday. Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-3239787070988807532015-12-18T09:36:00.002-08:002015-12-18T09:36:27.496-08:00Magic<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23388096701/in/dateposted-public/" title="Chic Thrills Etsy"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5680/23388096701_d2af3cb2da_m.jpg" width="240" height="182" alt="Chic Thrills Etsy"></a><br /><br />Lots of magic, this time of year. But here's one, a gift from a friend, that seems more so than usual to me: the impression of leaves on cloth. Literally, as in she impressed the leaves onto the cotth, and they leave behind this image.<br /><br />I love Eucalypts. It is the tree, and particularly the smell, of my childhood. <br /><br />My friend expected this to be a table runner, but I am hanging it on the wall, so I can see it year 'round. <br /><br />She has <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/chicthrills">lots more</a> in her shop. :)Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-71344255994883532015-12-14T12:04:00.001-08:002015-12-14T12:04:19.310-08:00Imagine A SunsetThat's what I did:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23124799033/in/dateposted-public/" title="Dyed yarns"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5640/23124799033_7584f3b69d_n.jpg" width="320" height="154" alt="Dyed yarns"></a><br /><br />Skeins to the left, warp chains to the right.<br /><br />Another shot:<br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23751600575/in/dateposted-public/" title="Dyed yarns"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/603/23751600575_b153951eb7_n.jpg" width="320" height="143" alt="Dyed yarns"></a><br /><br />Warm colors for cold winter weaving!Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10256301.post-59458888582668790492015-12-10T06:30:00.000-08:002015-12-10T06:31:25.909-08:00I See SpotsWhen this skein was purchased, it was cleverly twisted to conceal these un-dyed spots.<br /><br />::insert big sigh here::<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23005268524/in/dateposted-public/" title="Before overdye"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/576/23005268524_abe031ab4b_m.jpg" width="240" height="154" alt="Before overdye"></a><br /><br />Luckily, I am a dyer, and can remedy this with a trip through the dyebath. The color will be a bit darker on most of the skein, but these white spots will have some color too. I don't mind variation in color, gradations or color washes make nice fabrics. But white? come on. Be better to your customers. Fix these spots, paint or overdye. And if, in the final skein, there is a white spot: twist the skein so it shows, let the buyer be aware. <br /><br />I am dyeing anyway today:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/69599765@N00/23524931392/in/dateposted-public/" title="Bonnie&#x27;s cashmere"><img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/694/23524931392_92b0211624_m.jpg" width="240" height="174" alt="Bonnie&#x27;s cashmere"></a><br /><br />Lots of cashmere yarn for a joint project with my friend <a href="http://bonnietarses.com/">Bonnie!</a>Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03476505661258428527noreply@blogger.com2